The invention relates to a system and method for deterring automobile thefts from private and commercial owners, such as new and used car dealers, and particularly to a system and method for tracking automobiles driven from dealer lots as when vehicles are being test driven and when demo vehicles are taken off the premises.
The problem of vehicle theft from commercial and private owners is a problem which needs considerable attention. The United States, in particular, is an automobile-based society. Large numbers of automobiles are stolen from private owners every year. The number of stolen vehicles increases every year. In particular, there is a problem of deterring and preventing vehicle theft from new and used car dealers by customers test driving vehicles, or other persons driving vehicles from the dealer""s premises and not returning them. The number of drivers and vehicles is increasing every year. In purchasing an automobile it is customary for the customer to take the vehicle for a test drive, or even take the vehicle home overnight. While numerous devices and methods have been devised to deter the customer from stealing the vehicle, the problem has become attenuated by the increased number of drivers and car purchasers. For example, the dealer may write the customer""s drivers license number down, or retain the customer""s own automobile keys, and other means of deterring theft have been utilized. However these have not been satisfactory in dealing with the problem. In other instances, it is merely desirable to know where the customer has taken the vehicle, possibly for illegal uses.
The cost of automobile insurance has increased as the number of vehicle thefts has increased. In particular, the theft of certain types of vehicles has increased, such as certain types of popular and/or expensive vehicles from commercial and private owners.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a system and method for deterring automobile theft from commercial and private owners.
Another object is to prevent the theft of vehicles being taken from automobile dealer lots.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system and method for deterring and preventing automobile theft from automobile dealers while being test driven by customers wherein the vehicle can be tracked while it is being test drive.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a system and method wherein large numbers of vehicles can be concurrently tracked if stolen from automobile dealers or private owners to prevent theft of the vehicles.
The above objectives are accomplished according to the present invention by providing a web host connected to a wide area web network, wherein the web host has a computer readable medium. A computer program is stored on the web host for being connected to an automobile subscriber to the network. A unique location unit is carried by the vehicle. The location unit preferably includes a GPS chip for calculating the position of the vehicle. The location unit includes a processor for accessing location data calculated by the GPS chip. A transceiver included in the unit is controlled by the processor to automatically answer a tracking call from the web host, transmit location data representing the current position of the vehicle back to the web host, and then hang up. Any one of a number of automobile owners who subscribe to the network may concurrently send tracking requests to the web host wherein the web host automatically sends out tracking calls to each identified vehicle/location unit, receives the current locations of the vehicles from the location units, and transmits location data to the subscribers for display at the subscribers"" computer terminals. In the case of a dealer, the location unit is advantageously made integral with a special dealer xe2x80x9cInternet tracking tag,xe2x80x9d or affixed to the tag. The tag is affixed to the vehicle using locking screws only the dealer can remove.
A car dealer is most vulnerable to liabilities and loss when a car is driven off the lot, whether on a test drive or stolen. When a car is stolen and law enforcement is involved in a chase with an accident occurring, the dealer may be liable. Many times dealers have cars missing from their lots and are not able to locate them. During peak hours, many times a salesman is unable to go on demo rides with customers. The present invention helps keep salesmen on the floor.
By simply attaching an Internet tracking tag to every car that leaves the lot, a dealer can go online and locate that vehicle anywhere in the country at any given moment, thus deterring theft and eliminating the danger of a high speed chase. Law enforcement or the dealer can decide the best time and place to intercept and retrieve the stolen vehicle.
The automobile tracking anti-theft system and method uses cutting edge technology with GPS and wireless web design. The tag location unit reads its location off GPS satellites every 15 seconds and keeps its last location in memory. When one goes online to locate a tag, the web host contacts the tag and pinpoints its exact location on a map, all in less than two minutes. Since GPS cannot track inside a building, if a car is stolen and taken inside, the web host will contact the tag and draw a map taking one to the front of the building where the car is being kept. No installation is required. The tag may be simply placed on the car as would any other tag, using the locking screws that that can only be removed by the dealer. When in a rush to demo a vehicle, one can place the tag under the seat, where it is held in place with Velcro locking loops, and the car can be tracked. A 24 hour tracking center may be provided that will track a stolen vehicle for those dealers not connected to the Internet, or other wide-area network.